Personally, this is one of my issues with all manufactures! They post dry weights that are misleading! Or should I say they don't clarify that dry weights are before things such as AC, toilets, fridge, etc etc etc!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carol H

Well there may be light at the end of the tunnel on that topic. I seem to recall that there are some new regulations or at least some RV manufactures association that many of the manufactures belong to has a new requirement that the manufacturer must state the actual dry weight on the trailer as completed/leaves the factory on a label inside the trailer.

A good rule of thumb on a Scamp is to add at least 250/300lbs to the dry weight stated by Scamp to come up with a more realist dry weight on a 13' which they state to be 1200lbs. I have never seen a 1200lb Scamp reported here after having been weighed. Loaded weights on Frederick's great thread Trailer Weights in the Real World range from 1620lbs all the way up to 1950lbs and the later was listed as a Standard 13' Scamp. Which makes sense as it is suggested by a local trailer manufacture here that you should always add between 500/600lbs to a trailers stated dry weight to come up with a realistic approx. loaded weight.

When I was looking for a new trailer , I asked a friend who owns an RV shop
She said that the weight sticker on the trailer is the total weight with options and that they are weighed as they leave the assembly line . NO water NO propane -- All tanks are empty. (Dealer added options are not reflected by the factory weight sticker )

When I was looking for a new trailer , I asked a friend who owns an RV shop
She said that the weight sticker on the trailer is the total weight with options and that they are weighed as they leave the assembly line . NO water NO propane -- All tanks are empty. (Dealer added options are not reflected by the factory weight sticker )

Steve thats good to hear. As I indicated though I think its a pretty new practise (just the last couple of years) and may not be an across the board practise by all the manufactures - may have to do with what association they belong to.

Thanks Mike and everyone else. We have a friend checking out a Casita for us today and if it is a trailer that they would buy for themselves, they will put a check on it to hold it for us until we can get it on Friday. Think we are just going to stick with what we know will be a good towing trailer. Would like more interior space but if we are using it mostly as a traveling motel room, whats the difference, eh? We might as well get the best mileage with it we can get.

Nothing beats taking your trailer to a weigh station after it is packed for your trip. Even the stickers that come on some newer trailers with the factory weight can be misleading, particularly if you are a "heavy" packer. Between dumps & transfer stations, CAT scales, scrap metal yards, grain elevators, and DOT scales, there is going to be a way to get your actual weight without going too far out of your way.

Be sure to also check your tongue weight to assure it is within your tow vehicle limits & at least 10% of the trailer weight...

Dry weights tend to be before everything is placed in the trailer, which to me is horrible cause it gives people a false sense of what they are pulling.

And people don't understand that!

I agree that this is often a problem, but what alternative does the trailer manufacturer have? There is no "typical" load that people might place in a trailer. The only thing the manufacturer can do is tell us what the trailer weighs dry, and leave the rest up to us.

Most problems are best solved by each of us taking a little bit more responsibility and getting a little bit more education.

(And people doing things, despite not really understanding them, is a pretty common theme in "problems in society". I don't think mandating warning stickers is the right solution to this problem since the stupidity of the individual knows no bounds; trying to educate a user who won't take personal responsibility is both uneconomical and doomed to fail).

Most problems are best solved by each of us taking a little bit more responsibility and getting a little bit more education.

Yup so true! But you have to watch yourself Doug. Before you know it the PC patrol here will show up and chide you should you ever attempt to tell it like it is and educate anyone here why they may be heading down a road to failure, if it sounds at all like a scare tactic. Even if the OP asked for the information in an attempt to educate themselves

The more you educate yourself on a subject , the more you realize how little you really know and the more question you have . Education can be scary and ignorance is often the easier path. (Carol : Am I "Fear Mongering" ? I hope not)

There is no "typical" load that people might place in a trailer. The only thing the manufacturer can do is tell us what the trailer weighs dry, and leave the rest up to us.

Most problems are best solved by each of us taking a little bit more responsibility and getting a little bit more education.

__________________1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WDInformation is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.STATUS: No longer active in forum.

I agree that this is often a problem, but what alternative does the trailer manufacturer have?

There is no "typical" load that people might place in a trailer. ).

Doug, I am not talking about what people pack . I am saying that most people don't understand that dry weights are before appliances such as A/C, fridge, heaters, awnings, propane tanks, etc etc etc. People don't understand that! So yes I do blame the manufactures, because they don't really state that! People are lead to believe that the trailer they are purchasing is much lighter than it actually is!

Example, my trailer stated 2300 pound dry weight! When it actually weighs over 2800 pounds! Dry as a bone, with nothing in it!

Oh believe leave me, I completely understand there is no control on how much individuals pack. I have rv'ed most of my life as well as owned and operated a rv park. I saw how much crap people pack in their rigs ! But again, "dry weights" are before certain things such as A/C's and sometimes even tanks such as grey and black tanks. And if people don't understand that they don't know the real weight of the trailer!

hmmm... ok, that's a problem that the manufacturers could help with. It's still not an easy problem for them to solve, though. A caveat on the brochure indicating that the stated weight doesn't include options, a note beside each option what it weighs. Yeah, the manufacturer could help. But I insist the *responsibility* still falls on the client/owner. I will accept, however, that the manufacture is responsible for not misleading the customer, and stating dry weights without clearly indicating what that weight includes is bordering on misleading.

If I'm not mistaken, the trailer sticker should state the actual weight with options as the trailer leaves the factory. This obviously doesn't help while shopping, nor does it help with a used trailer when you can't know how the previous owner modified it. But again it comes down to education. The owner needs to know the factors that affect the weight, and when it's necessary to go out and take a measurement instead of relying what's on paper.

Several rv manufacturers do list the weight on various options, particularly truck campers.
There the weight measurement is a lot more critical that with trailers, but in either case that info is available if need be. I have bought trailers that have the weight stamp on the exterior, weight leaving the factory. But that is dry weight as we all know.